Synonyms
ALSFRS; ALSFRS-R
Description
The Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Functional Rating Scale (ALSFRS) is a validated instrument designed to assess the functional status and the disease progression in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). It is a tool that can be used to monitor functional change in a patient over time. The ALSFRS is a ten-item functional inventory which was devised for use in therapeutic trials in ALS. Each item is rated on a 0–4 scale, (with 0 being severely impaired and 4 being normal) by the patient and/or caregiver, yielding a maximum score of 40 points. The ALSFRS assesses the patients’ levels of self-sufficiency in areas of self-feeding, grooming, ambulation, and communication and swallowing. Versions are available in Spanish, Dutch, and German.
Historical Background
The ALSFRS was developed because clinimetric scales being utilized at the time were contaminated with impairment measurements, did not measure the broad range of disabilities that...
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Further Reading
ALS CNTF Treatment Study (ACTS) Phase 1-11 Study Group. (1996). The amyotrophic lateral sclerosis functional rating scale. Assessment of activities of daily living in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Archives of Neurology, 53, 141–147.
Campos, T. S., Rodriquez-Santos, F., Esteban, J., Vasquez, P. C., Mora Paradivia, J. S., & Carmona, A. C. (2010). Spanish adaption of the revised amyotrophic lateral sclerosis functional rating scale (ALSFRS-R). Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, 11(5), 475–477.
Cedarbaum, J. M., & Stambler, N. (1997). Performance of the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis functional rating scale (ALSFRS) in multicenter clinical trials. Journal of the Neurological Sciences, 152(Suppl 1), S1–S9.
Feinstein, A. R. (1987) Clinimetric perspectives. Journal of Chronic Diseases, 40(6), 635–40.
Herndon, R. M. (2006). Handbook of neurologic rating scales (p. 96). New York: Demos Medical Publishing, LLC.
Lo Coco, D., Marchese, S., La Bella, V., Piccoli, T., & Lo Coco, A. (2007). The amyotrophic lateral sclerosis functional rating scale predicts survival time in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients on invasive mechanical ventilation. Chest, 132(1), 64–69.
Streiner, D. L. & Norman, G. R. (1989). A Review of: “Health Measurement Scales: A Practical Guide to Their Development and Use, Fourth Edition” New York: Oxford University Press, 2008, ISBM 978-0-19-923188-1, xvii + 431 pp
Wicks, P., Massagli, M. P., Wolf, C., & Heywood, J. (2009). Measuring function in Advaced ALS: Validation of ALSFRS-Ex extension items. European Journal of Neurology, 16(3), 353–359. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-1331.2008.02434.x.
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Tipton-Burton, M.M. (2018). Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Functional Rating Scale. In: Kreutzer, J.S., DeLuca, J., Caplan, B. (eds) Encyclopedia of Clinical Neuropsychology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-57111-9_1927
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-57111-9_1927
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